Title: A Spark Of Good From The Burn Of Evil
Rating: FRT
Disclaimer: I own Ashley, nothing more. Just the idea.
Spoilers: X1, X2, X3
Summary: Your past is the blueprint for your future. Rogue knew this better than anyone. Future fic. Ryro, slight RoLo, Bobby/Roge vibes.
Most characters will have a slight bit of OOC, but given the storyline, I don't know how they'd react to this situation.
I changed a few things from the movie, so it's possible AU.
"Put on your shoes, and we'll go." Marie stood at the bathroom preparing herself for the day as Ashley scampered down the hall to the front foyer.
Today was the neighbour's daughter's birthday. She was a year old than Ashley, but the two got along incredibly well. As did both parents. Aaron Drofnats was a chiropractor and his wife Amy was a stay at home mom. During the day she'd play babysitter after Ashley got home from Senior Kindergarten, while Marie was at work as a secretary at the local law firm.
Both Aaron and Amy were excellent people and very friendly. And the best part was that they weren't mutants…that Rogue could tell. She wanted to get as far away from mutants as possible. She wanted her daughter to live a life without prejudice, and without power induced violence. If that meant ignoring the fact that she was a mutant, so be it.
As Marie ran a brush through her hair, she took the time to study herself. She hadn't changed much in the past 6 years since she left the mansion and X-Men behind. Her hair was still dark brown with the white streak in the front. She was still tall and thin as ever. She still liked to smile, laugh, and have fun. She was the same Marie…Rogue… as before. The only difference was she didn't wear leather as much and she was now a mother.
"Mommy." Said Ashley as she entered the bathroom. "I need help." She held up a pair of pink Harley Davidson, size three running shoes Uncle Logan had bought her. They were her favourite. She wore them everywhere. That, and her matching leather jacket. She truly was the coolest kid in town all thanks to Uncle Logan. He really did spoil her rotten.
Marie bent down as Ashley sat on the toilet lid. Her head hung and a pout that mirrored her fathers, on her face. She still hadn't mastered the art of tying her shoes. She wanted to be able to show Uncle Logan that she was a big girl when he came to visit tonight.
Ever since Ashley was born, Logan would make it a habit to drop by one or two times a month. He was the only member of X-Men that even knew where Rogue had gone. He'd tell the mansion he was leaving for a couple of days, which for Wolverine wasn't unusual, slip off to Mississippi, then come back. No one was the wiser, or at least that's what Marie hoped.
Lifting a shoe, Marie slid it onto Ashley's foot.
"Remember that movie we were watching the other day?" Marie gently titled her daughter's chin to look at her face-to face. "The one about the dog who couldn't tie his shoes?"
"Patou!" Ashley's eyes lit up when she said the name of her favourite character from Rock-A-Doodle.
Her mother nodded. "Do you remember the rhyme her used to sing to help him?"
While tying up the shoe, Marie said the rhyme.
"Over...under…around…and through…That's how Patou ties his shoes."
Marie did the same with the other shoe, repeating the rhyme, and having Ashley say it along.
"There. That wasn't so hard was it?" Marie said as she taped her daughter playfully in the nose. Ashley smiled shyly.
"Ready to go to the party?"
"Yeah!" squealed the little girl as she sprung from her seat on the toilet and flew down the hall to the door.
Around four o'clock the party began to wind down. Between games, movies, and an entertaining clown, there were going to be a lot of exhausted children.
Marie had stayed to help Aaron and Amy supervise the eight children that had been invited.
While out in the backyard gathering plastic plates and cups, she spotted Ashley staring intensely at a bundle of balloons tied to a fence post.
Then suddenly one balloon popped.
Then another.
And another.
Marie watched as one by one, each balloon would explode into tiny pieces and scatter on the grass.
Rogue felt an all too familiar shiver run down her spine. It had been a long time since something happened with no apparent reason.
Noticing her daughter shaking slightly as the picnic table where she sat, Marie went over to her.
Ashley looked as if she would burst into tears.
Marie picked up Ashley, who instinctively wrapped her arms around her neck and her legs around Marie's waist.
Aaron and Amy came out seconds later.
"I heard a noise. What happened?"
"Oh," Rogue turned with Ashley in her arms. "The balloons popped and the noise startled her."
Aaron went over to the fence where the balloons once were. Not a single tree branch or point was in the way to cause the balloons to pop. Not even the tails of the balloons were left behind. Sure, he could figure one or two balloons popping, but thirteen in less than ten seconds? How unusual.
Aaron shrugged "Musta been something in the helium."
Marie just nodded as she turned her attention to the fence.
What were roughly thirteen balloons now lay thirteen limp strings dangling from a fence post.
Author's Note: I know it was a weak example of showing Ashley's power at work, but it was all I could think of. I wanted something simple to begin her power developments. And Rock-A-Doodle was one of my fav movies as a kid. Did anyone catch the Drofnats. Reverse it. What do you get? My fellow Pyromaniacs at fanforum will understand ;) Also, about his wife's name ;)
